Combined portable school desk and seat



Oct. 30, 1934. 1 v. QUATRARO 1,979,173

COMBINED PORTABLE SCHOOL DESK AND SEAT Original Filed May 12, 1930 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1934. QUATRARO 1,979,173

COMBINED PORTABLE SCHOOL DESK AND SEAT Original Filed May 12, 1930 2Sheets-Sheet. 2

V/NCENT QU/YTK/YRO INVENTQR Z8 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 30, 1934 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE Vincent Quatraro, Garfield, N. J.

Application May 12, 1930, Serial No. 451,796

Renewed July 26, 1933 2 Claims.

This invention relates to furniture and more particularly refers toimprovements in furniture of the foldable type; and its primary objectis to provide a novel and improved foldable structure,

" consisting of a desk and seat adapted. to be folded in a compact andeasily portable form.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved foldable and portablefurniture unit, consisting of a school desk and seat unit, including ateach side thereof four bars crossed in pairs to form a major and: minorcross at each side of the furniture unit when the structure is ex-.panded; while also including two sheet-like structures forming one adesk top and the other a chair seat.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fullyappear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed inthe appended claims.

.My. invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective, showing the unit expanded: and ready for use;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;'

Fig. 3 is an end elevation, showing'the unit completely collapsed,looking toward the. right in Fig. 5; v

Fig. dis a similar view, but looking toward '30 the left Fig. 5(assuming the child not present, to clarify the drawing) Fig.5 is a sideelevation showing the completely collapsed unit on the back of a child;

6 isa side elevation of an inkwell adjunct; and

i Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

-The embodiment of the invention illustrated is designed particularlyfor children either in solo or in class where it is desirable to havefor the child, or each child, a desk and seat outfit readilytransportable, say from an indoor class tov=an outdoor one, inaccordance with the present ideas on pedagogy, and to avoid duplicatefurniture sets both indoors and out. To that end the parts are desirablymade of painted or varnished wood or compressed wood, to be light,strong and durable; although the right is reserved to make various bar,strip and sheet elements of thin metal or indeed any material. Due tothe way in which its apparently very thinly dimensioned bar, strip andsheet components co-act mutually to fortify each other when the unit isexpanded, it has been found that the total weight of the unit, for achild of early I 5* school years, need not exceed five to .Seven pounds,nor need the overallthickness at T in Fig. 5 exceed 1%.

The major crosses at both sides are each made up of bars 10 and 11,forming the front leg frame and the rear leg frame of the deskrespectively, each such cross pivoted as by a rivet 12, and limited to apredetermined spread by the oppositely projected ends 14 of a strip 14secured to bars 10. The minor crosses at both sides are each made up ofbars 15 and 16, forming the front leg frame and the rear leg frame ofthe chair respectively, said bars being, however, here not interpivotedat their cross-point when expanded, but instead being slidable relativeto each other due to the strips 1'? and 18 secured to opposite sides ofand at longitudinally spaced positions along bars 15. The lower ends ofbars 10 and 15 on .each side of the unit are pivoted together as byrivets 19. Then, with strip 14 acting as above, and with astrip 20secured to bars 16 abutting strip 18, all eight bars, 10, 11, 15 and 16are limited to the predetermined spread shown in Fig. 2.

The upper portions of bars 15 are preferably curved as indicated at 15',and are joined at the top by a strip 21, so that these parts form thechair back, as an open frame within which can be nested the chair seatwhen the chair is collapsed; while the chair seat is provided by asheet-like structure 22 pivoted to bars 15 as by rivets 23 and to thetops of bars 16 as by rivets 24. Rivets 23 and 24 pass through sidependent or skirt portions 22' of such seat, bars 15 being external andbars 16 being internal to said skirt portions.

Across the top of bars 10 is secured rigidly a lesser desk top component25 having a groove 25 for pens, pencils and the like, an'inkwellaperture 25", and a rather long and fairly wide opening 25A. There isalso provided a main desktop component 26, including a main sheet 26'(hereinafter called the desk-top) secured to a pair of side arms 26a.Between these arms extend a bottom partition 26b, 2. front partition26c, and a top slant 266 to provide a storage compartment 26". Near therear or open end of the compartment, the arms 26a are pivoted as byrivets 2'7 to bars 10.

The forward end of desk-top 26 rests merely by gravity upon the tops ofbars 11, when the apparatus is expanded fully, as shown in Figs. 1 and2.

A strip 28 is secured crosswisely of bars 10 in proximity of their lowerends, and a strip 29 is similarly applied to bars 11 somewhat above thelevel of strip 28; these strips 28 and 29 not projecting beyond theouter side of the bars to which they are attached.

It will be observed that strip 29 is secured to the outer edge of bars11 with respect to bars 10, so as to permit the frame formed by bars 10and cross strip 28 to become nestedwithin the frame formed by bars 11and cross strip 29 when the structure is collapsed; strip 29 and strip14. acting as stops limiting the movement 6f bars 10, 11, to thecollapsed position.

As shown best in Fig. 4, portage straps, to be used as in Fig. 5, madeof leather oi other suitable material, are suitably secured at theiropposite ends to opposite sides of the unit and to the inner faces ofbars 15 and 16. v

A hook 31 is also desirab'ly'preseiit; eh which to hang, say, the cap orbonnet. inliwell shown in Figs. 6, '7, comprises a main member 32carrying the well W and shouldered at 32' and thereabove-rediiced indiameter andexte= riorly threaded for the applicatier-i of a niit 33whereby the well may be secured within the aperture and to the member25. Near its top, said well W is also preferably interiorly threaded atW, whereby a cover 34 having male and fe'-' male threads, as shown, m"aybe readily applied to and removed fromthe top of the well by 'cooper=ating with the exterior thread and the interior thread W of the member32.

When the unit is collapsed as shown in Figs; 3 to 5,- the chief lateralprojection is the width of the lesser desk-top component 25, and this;as 'seenelearl'y in Fig.- 5, is well above the childs I head; The slightprejection of the strip 21- and immediately adjacent portions of ends 15of bars 15 presents no difficulty, since this always well clears thechilds heckand head back. The strips 28 and 29 form stops t6 hold allthese bars l6, l5 and 10 in the same place with the two bars 11; whilethe seat 22 is nested quietly and firmly in the same place, at one sideby the strip 14, and at the other side by the dead weight orgfavityactiorr 6f desk-top 26'. With. the parts in this condition, thecella'psed outfit is instan= taneously attached to the back of the childby its passing under its armpits the bights of the straps:30.- Thecompartment 26" is now verti= eaL; with its bottom established bypartitioh 26b, and with its opentop immediately below open= i-ng 25A; sothat books, papers and the like may be comfortably and safely carriedtherein.

When the unit is expanded, the important op= erative strips 28 and 29afford convenient foot rests for the child, in two comfortablepositi'en's, bfitalways to keep the childs feet clear of the dampgroun'dr It will be observed that when the structure is cellapsed allits elemerits will remain truly in the same plane. tween-air namesformed by hai s 15*, 16; will be in the saiiie plans because ihrier earsl-dwill be hoiisedb'etweeii strips 17, 18'; while ski-ft pditioii-s 22'will remain between 15' of bars and bar's is, the seat ester 22 passingthrough and remaining slight 13 Beyond the space between e'iitensitih15*. The chair sti'iict'iir'e thus collapsed, the enter dimensigns ofwhich aresubstantially the dimensions 6f rame formedby bars 15:15",strips 17, is, and strip 21, will nestwithiri the open frame fiiiifiedby bars 10 and strip 14; 28; and the latter frame will nest within theframe formed l1 andstrip '29, while ccmpa-rtme'nt 26", which will remainabove strip 21 of the chair back, will also be nested between the upperpor tions of bars 10, the desk top 26' overlapping the collapsedstructure at the rear, and abutting against seat 22.

Variations may be freely resorted to within the scope of the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. A folding desk and chair comprising a desk top, foldably connectedforward and rear pairs of legs supporting the desk top, a chair seat,forand rear pairs of foldable connected legs supporting the chair seat,the forward chair legs being pivotally connected to the rear desk legs,whereby all of said legs may be folded into a comiiion plane, the desktop having side bars and the forward chair legs being extended toprovide a back for the chair, the extensions of the forward chair legsbeing of curved form on their rear edges and the desk top side barshaving their lowerinner edges of corresponding configuration to interfitwith the chair leg extensions when the latter are fclded and the desktop is disposed fiat against the whole set of folded legs:

2. In a collapsible structure of the character described, a chaircemprising a front legfrar'n'e, a rear leg frame, each frame consistingof two transversely spaced barsand cross members ea tending betweenand'connecting said bars-said rear leg frame being narrower than andne'stable within the other so as to leave a clearance space between eachof its outer side surfaces aiidthe corresponding inner side surfaces ofthe front tiltable with respect to the front leg frame, so as Y to bemovable from a collapsed position where said rear leg frame is nestedwithin, and iii a common plane with saidfront leg frame; to an expandedposition where said twofram'es are in a crossed relation to'each ether,and-a seat forming an articulated connection between said two fraines,said seat havih'ga width substantially corresponding t6 the distancebetween the inner side surfaces of the front leg frame and having ateach side a depending" skirt pertien of a thickness substantially equalto the-width 'of the clearance space between the bars of thet'wo framesat the corresponding side, said skirt pertions being pivotally connectedat the rear to the bars of said front leg frame and at theffor-i-t tothe bars of said rear' leg frame; the barsof the front leg frame beingexternal amuse bar's of the rear leg frame being internal to said skirtportions, the bars of said front leg frame extending upwardly beydndth'e pivot'al connection be= tween said bars and said skirt portions anebeing transversely connected at their upper'ends'to" forin aback fofsaid chair, and a desk cenibnjsi a front is; name, a rear leg framewider than an pivotally connecte thereto, eac ffair'ie con: sisting ortwo transversey spaced bar' "cross members extending between andconnecting the edges of said bars, and a toppivctally eeniiecte'd at thefear to the upper end of said front leg frame, said two frames beingmovable rrcm'a collapsed positionwhere said front'leg frame is nestedwithin and a common transversal plane with Said rear ieg frame toanexnanded pesirion where said two frames are in a crossed relation toeach other, the distance between the inner corres onding tome distancebetween the outer side surfaces of the front leg frame of said chair,the lower end (if the desk front leg frame being pivot-any connected tothe lower end of the chair front leg frame; the foal 'fr'aifies thechair seat being nes'table within ene ahether and being all foldable ina common transversal plane, said desk top being foldable against therear surface of the resulting collapsed structure, said desk front legframe being longer than said chair front leg frame, and a pocket portiondepending from said desk top, at the rear thereof, adapted to be-

